Card #273 -- Chris Speier, San Francisco Giants
Among the Giants, the batter in the on-deck circle is watching the play, while third base coach (John McNamara?) looks on. The entire Phillies bullpen is in the shot, as well as Don Money at third. The catcher is either Tim McCarver or John Bateman, since both would wear uniform number 6 for the 1972 Phillies as they were traded for each other. I'm guessing it's McCarver. In the middle of the action, there's a sliding Chris Speier.
Chris Speier enjoyed a long career, playing 19 seasons from 1971-'89. He bookended his big league career with two stints in San Francisco. Most of the rest of his career was spent in Montreal. He was a solid player, even if he didn't live up to his initial potential. He would be named to the All-Star team three straight years (1972-'74) and played in three National League Championship Series. Interestingly, the Giants made the Series in 1989 but Speier sat out that postseason.
After retiring, he became a minor league roving instructor and a hitting coach. Today, he is the bench coach for the Cincinnati Reds.
McCarver played twice for the Phils in Candlestick. The first game was a masterpiece for Carlton, a one-hitter with 14Ks. No one got close to the plate.
ReplyDeleteThe second game, Speier scored a run but it was on a Bobby Bonds homer to win the game.
Bateman played for the Phils in SF in July. On July 14, Speier (batting THIRD!!) scored from second on a single by Ken Henderson off of Mac Scarce in the 7th. The other games in the series don't lead itself to a play such as this.